Senior leadership of South Africa's ruling party African National Congress (ANC) recommended to the party's governing body – the National Executive Committee (NEC) – that the conclusions made by an independent parliamentary commission be dismissed after the commission called for the start of an impeachment process against the country's president and leader of the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa, South African media reported on Monday.
After a six-hour session, the ANC National Working Commitee (NWC), consisting of the party's senior membership, issued recommendations to be considered by the NEC later on Monday. According to the NWC, corruption accusations made against the president are groundless and rather than resign, he should appeal to the Constitutional Court so that the commission's conclusions are recognized as erroneous.
On Tuesday, the South African National Assembly (the lower house of the parliament) will consider the recommendations of the independent commission regarding the start of impeachment proceedings against the head of state. With 230 MPs out of 400 belonging to the ANC, the recommendations of the party's leadership, if accepted by NEC – which has the power to force deputies to vote in a certain way – could prevent Ramaphosa's impeachment.
The report by the independent commission formed by South Africa's Parliament was released on 30 November. According to it, the president may have committed acts inconsistent with the office of head of state, serious constitutional violations, as well as violations of the anti-corruption law.
The report was submitted to the lower house of parliament for consideration. Should the commission's conclusions be approved by the majority of MPs, the parliament can start the impeachment process against the head of state.
In June, former South African State Security Agency chief Arthur Fraser accused the country's president of covering up the fact that $4Mln in cash had been stolen from his Phala Phala game farm in 2020, along with other crimes, which led to the case being examined by a legal panel and later Parliament.